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Hummus – a delicacy around the Mediterranean

Hummus, hummus, hummus! It’s not possible to have enough of this arabic delicacy which has spread to lunch restaurants and dinner tables around the globe. In arabic the full name is hummus bi tahīna which means “chick peas with sesame paste”. Hummus is made out of chick peas, sesame paste (tahini), olive oil, fresh garlic, cumin, salt and lemon juice. It is easy to make oneself, but it is time consuming since you first have to let the chick peas soak in water for 8 hours and then boil them. Hummus is a perfect as a starter, dip, spread or as an ingredient to falafel with pita bread. In Cyprus hummus is popular both among Greek- and Turkish Cypriots. In North Cyprus it is often served as meze to other dishes. If you don’t want to make the hummus yourself you can buy it in all bigger supermarkets.

Hummus can be served both hot and cold.

Even if hummus is common in many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries today it has its biggest fan club in Israel. To the Israeli’s the hummus is so important it has even been appointed to a culinary “nation symbol”. Inhabitants in Israel consume more than twice as much hummus as its arabic neighbourhood countries. One reason for the hummus popularity in Israel has its explanation in the Jewish religious restrictions when it comes to certain foods. Opposed to other foods the hummus is allowed to be served to both meat and dairy products, and that is the original reason to why it has become so common in the Israeli cooking. Even the Palestinian Israelis love hummus and it is obviously they who does it the best! The queues are often long to the small but trendy “hummus places” in Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv.

Filippa studies media and communication at Gothenburg University and will do her internship with New Cyprus Magazine. She hopes that the internship will increase her communicative skills and give her an insight of the business. She has a passion for seeing the world and meeting new people, and has studied in both Australia and the United States.